In the Eye of an Assassin
by Avery0401
Summary: Find out how 2 cats of a similar past eventually meet and how their stories unfold from their seperate perspectives
1. Despair

_Short Prolouge-a small introduction to the main characters_

Avery, a troubled she-cat with a mysterious lineage. She is an experienced assassin and a member of the Dark Brotherhood, a group of cats thst take conctracts from the Night Mother, their Holy Matron. She, along with her sister Eli, is on a journey to discovering her origins and of her species, the Crystal tails.

Saari, a she-cat with no memory of her past due to an injury that happened during one of her assasination contracts. The only memories she could recall are of her father's death, her rivalry with her sister Asria and the fact that she's an assassin. So, she did what she could do best, taking on contracts from all around Skyrim.

_Chapter 1-Despair_

On the outskirts of Falkreath sits a small Lonesome hut, a home to a small family. The forest and wildlife surrounded this isolated home, making it a peaceful place apart from an occasional wolf attack. But something will stirr this peace...

"Are you sure that's what you saw?"a black she-cat with a dark gray crystal tail asked, her brown eyes filled with concern. The small, reddish-black she-kit with gray paws nodded in confirmation.

"Yes mother. You'd better hurry, they're near and waiting." she said.

"Eli, go into the basement. We'll come for you once it's safe."the gray and brownish-red tom meowed sternly as he searched for his sword. "Aye."Eli meowed, rushing into the basement. "Why can't she fight?"a short, black she-cat with a red crystal tail and paws asked, her brown optics focused on the steel dagger she held with her tail.

"She is still to young Avery."Zillah meowed, before being cut off by her mate, Dinah

"And is still in training. But anyways, let's go."he meowed, heading toward the door, Avery and Zillah close behind.

Once outside, they were on high alert. Their ears pricked upon hearing a battle cry as three hooded figures leaped out from the trees. Avery rushed toward the cat without a weapon while her parents headed for the one with an elven dagger and the leader who had a sword, their claws and weapons unsheathed. Growls and clashes of metal rung across the forest.

Avery ran toward the assailant, lunging on him, sinking the dagger into his shoulder and clinging onto his back. The tom yowled, trying to shake her off. He then grabbed her scruff and threw her off toward a tree. Avery lay on the ground, trying to regain focus in her eyes. The tom padded toward her, his jaws tugging at the dagger.

Dinah had finished his opponent off by clawing his neck, scarlet liquid flowing onto his paw and the ground. From the corner of his eye he could see his daughter cornered and being approached by the hooded cat. He picked his sword up from the ground and rushed toward him,

"Step away from my daughter you scum!"he hissed as he ran. He suddenly froze in place, looking down at his chest. Crimson stained his gray pelt, the dagger had struck him directly in his chest. He collapsed on the ground.

"No!"Avery yowled.

Zillah got distracted upon hearing her yowl and turned her gaze, her serious expression turning to one of shock. Seizing the oportunity, the she-cat she's been fighting with pinned Zillah down, dagger clutching in her jaws.

"Mother!"the red crystal tailed she-cat stood up to go help her, but was stopped by the tom holding her down.

Zillah struggled to get free, the hooded she-cat ending the struggle by slashing her throat with the blade.

Avery lowered her ears, eyes widening. She struggled to get out of the tom's grasp. The she-cat approached the two, muttering to let her go, the tom following her orders.

Avery backed away,her back against the tree. The she-cat's piercing yellow eyes glowed through the hood, glaring at the small she-cat.

"Let's go. We're done here."she meowed, padding away with the tom.

Avery grabbed her father's scruff, dragging him toward Zillah who was coughing up blood.

"A-Avery..."She spoke, her voice strained from the pain."You need to...take care of Eli now."she coughed again, blood seeping from her mouth.

"But-"she began before she got cut off by her mother

"Just...remember the promise you gave your...father."she trailed off, her eyes closing.

Avery nudged her a few times, then raised her head, yowling mournfully. She sobbed quietly into her pelt. She stayed that way for a little while, til' a memory flashed in her mind.

A young kit of about four moons was limping beside her father, wincing in pain with every step she made. They were returning from a lesson in which Avery attempted a battle move Dinah was teaching her, but she landed awkwardly on her front paw, causing it to sprain. The gray tom fixed his yellow optics toward her as they sat on a nearby bench to rest,

"You've really grown. I can see it from the effort and strength you put in your training."he said.

"I'll get better, I promise."She meowed in a hushed voice.

He chuckled slightly, curling his bushy tail around her shoulders.

"I know you will. You would never disappoint me. No matter what you do, you'll always have my support...just promise me one thing."he spoke with slight uncertainty in his tone.

"What is it?"Avery asked, her dark brown eyes looking up at her father.

Dinah took a breath,"Promise me that, if something happens to me that you'll protect your mother and sister."he explained, his ears lowering.

"I understand that I may have been a bit hard on Eli during her training but, I don't want her to follow me into the same life in the shadows. I want her to take on a different path. But you Avery...use the training I provided so you can be there to protect your little sister."he said.

"I promise."she meowed, nuzzling him.

He smiled warmly. "And don't be afraid to live among the other cats, they can also teach you things. Both Zillah and I want the both of you to explore the land we live in, not to be couped up in a hut all on your own like us. But remember to-"he meowed and Avery finished his sentence,

"Always use your disguised form or wear a cloak to hide your tail."she said.

"Aye."Dinah replied, embracing her.

_Present day..._

Avery blinked her eyes, sighing. She took a while digging holes for the graves and burying Zillah and Dinah. Once done, she took her steel dagger and sheathed it into the holster. She headed into the house, padding toward the basement trap door. She opened it, glancing down at Eli whose facial expression was sorrowfull.

"They're gone, aren't they?"the kit asked, fixing her gaze on her older sister.

"Yes. But, what's done is done. We'll need to leave this place, I don't think it's safe for us to live here anymore."Avery replied as her sister climbed out of the basement.

"Aye, guess we do."she sighed.

The two sisters collected a few things they needed before they headed out. Both of them had a dagger, some food and gold on them. Avery grabbed a purple cloak and put it on. She could immediately smell her mother's scent on it as she wore it often. She put the hood over her head, hiding her face.

"You got everything you need?"She asked her little sister.

Eli nodded and they headed out of the hut and into the unknown.

The blizzard howled loudly in the Pale. At this time, a group of bandits has surrounded 3 cats.

A dark brown, elderly tom guarded a short she-cat. They had taken Asria easily but he won't let Saari leave him without a fight. He had taught her many assasination techniques, she was like the female version of himself.

"You're wasting our time old hag."one of the bandits hissed, pushing him onto the ground. The bandit pointed the bow at Ralodus, the tom standing up and puffing up his chest.

"Don't push your luck,"he warned, "I have a swift tail for arrows."He added.

The brown tom stared down the arrow and instantly struck, knocking the bow and arrow from the bandit and began taking down scores of them.

Saari crawled backwards along the snow, whimpering in fear as she watched her father struggle against the attackers. However, Ralodus' efforts were short-lived as he was now pinned to the ground.

"Saari...Take it!"he meowed to his daughter, pointing at the bow and arrow laying on the snow.

She wanted to, but she was frozen in place not by the cold but fear. It was too late, the bandit he had knocked out earlier took the bow and fired at the struggling cats, before collapsing on the ground.

Saari looked around, noticing she was all alone on the bloody snow field and fallen bodies, one of them belonging to her father, Ralodus.

She was shaking as she continued to whimper and cry. A brownish-red figure approached her, curling her tail around the black and brown she-cat. Asria muttered comforting words to her sister as she embraced her. They sat there for a while, alone on the blood-stained snow field.


	2. A New Life Part 1

**Characters**:

Avery-A black she-cat with a red crystal tail, red paws and a red streak going along a tuft of hair on her head and dark brown eyes.

Eli-Reddish-black pelt with gray paws and a gray stripe going along her tail and piercing yellow eyes.

Saari-A dark brown pelt with light brown front paws, 3 stripes on her short tail and a light brown patch on her left eye and unusually red eyes.

Astrid-a ginger she-cat with red markings on her back, paws and tailtip;she has green eyes

Myra-a muscular, pale yellow she-cat with pale green eyes

**Chapter 2**

A New Life

Part 1

The sun had lowered and the moon shone above the pine forest as the two sisters walked along it. They've left the comfort of their home for their own safety, in case the assailants decided to come back. Avery and Eli have been walking in silence for what it felt like eternity til' the younger spoke up,

"Av, can we take a break? I'm a bit tired."she asked.

"Alright, let's sit on that stone for a bit."the other sister replied as they climbed up on the stone and sat down. They sat there for a little while, when-

"Did you hear that?"Eli asked, ears pricked as she heard a noise.

"Yes. Stay behind me sis."Avery replied, standing in front of her protectively. There was rustling of bushes nearby. Then, a ginger she-cat with red markings walked out of her hiding spot. The moon illuminated her pelt.

"Relax, I mean no harm."she spoke calmly, her green optics fixed on the two sisters.

"Who are you?"Eli asked.

"I am Astrid. What are you two doing in the woods this late?"she asked. Sensing her sibling tensed up slightly from the question, Eli decided to respond.

"We're going away from our home because it's no longer safe there. You see, our hut was attacked by some cats and our mother and father well...they..."she trailed off. Astrid's eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. I understand what that's like."she replied symphatetically.

"Now we have no place to go besides maybe staying in an Inn in Falkreath."Avery spoke softly.

"Hmm, what if I can provide you a place to stay?"the stranger meowed. Both of them widened their eyes in suprise, then Astrid added,

"I live with a group of cats in a sanctuary just beneath the road. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you joining us. You'll be like our new additions to the family. Maybe not by blood but, our bond is unbreakable. So, what do you say?"she asked, stretching out her paw.

Avery gasped, shocked at the offer. She glanced over at Eli, who was equally suprised.

'I'm going to do this for her.'she thought.

"I accept the offer. Thank you."Avery meowed, placing her paw on Astrid's.

"You're welcome. Now follow me, we aren't too far from the sanctuary."she said, then the three of them headed to the sanctuary.

After a little while, they were standing in front of a door. It had a skull in the center and at the bottom, five skulls and a dagger lodged in one of them while beside them was a cat-shaped skelleton.

Astrid touched the circle shaped knob and the door spoke, startling both Avery and Eli slightly.

"What is the music of life?"the door spoke in a echoing whisper.

"Silence, my brother."Astrid responded calmly.

"Welcome...Home."the door said, opening with a creak.

"Let's go in."she said. The two sisters nodded and followed her down the stone staircase into a somewhat big sized room. It had a few shelves that had some herbs and plates on them.

There were also 2 holes, one of them lead to another staircase while the other one lead to another room. Across from the shelves stood a table and a chair. On it sat a muscular, pale yellow she-cat with pale green eyes. She was looking at a map of Skyrim. Her focus then averted to Astrid and the two strangers.

"Astrid. I see you've returned from your walk through the forest. And you've brought some company with you."she spoke in an even tone.

"They wish to join us Mistress. You see, they recently lost their parents after some assasins attacked their home and they left in case they came back. They had no place to go so I offered them to join our family."Astrid replied.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss you two."she said.

The sisters just bowed their heads respectfully.

"I am Myra, leader of the Dark Brotherhood. We are a group of cats that take on contracts and get paid after fullfilling them. We treat eachother like family, even if we aren't bound by blood. I'm sure that others will grow to like you um...would you mind telling me your names?"Myra asked, looking at them

"I am Avery and this is my sister, Eli"the hooded she-cat meowed.

"Beautiful names."Myra smiled warmly.

"Guess I don't need to be under the hood while I'm here."Avery said, removing the hood to reveal her face. Myra's eyes seemed to have widened slightly when she looked at the elder sister. She then spoke again,

"You two should go downstairs and get some rest, then next sunrise you'll be able to meet the others."she said. The sisters nodded as Astrid lead them to their room.

The room they were staying in had two beds with a couple of shelves and chests to store their items in.

"We always make sure to have empty rooms for new members. I hope you'll like living here."Astrid meowed as she stood in the doorway.

"Thank you, Astrid."Eli smiled brightly.

"No need to thank me. I'm glad to help."she replied, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. Avery and Eli proceed to put their items in the chest before turning in. After a little while, both of them were laying in bed.

Avery had taken off her cloak and placed it on one of the shelves. Eli had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow but Avery was unable to. She left the room quietly and descended down the staircase that lead to the main room of the sanctuary. She sat down beside a big pool of water that was by the staircase. The dim glow of torches made her red crystal tail glisten. She sat there in silence.

"You're still awake?"a calm voice of Astrid spoke as she approached her.

"Can't sleep is all."Avery replied softly. Astrid sat down beside her, fixing her green eyes on the black she-cat. She gasped in suprise upon noticing her tail.

"So you've noticed my unusual tail huh?"Avery asked, glancing at her.

"You're one of those Crystal Tails, aren't you?"she asked.

"Yes but, I don't know much about them."Avery replied.

"Is your sister the same?"she asked curiously.

"Yeah but, she was born in her disguise form and has only tried to turn into her real form once. Only mother saw it though."Avery meowed, sighing.

"So your mother was a Crystal Tail. What about your father?"Astrid replied.

"He was a Nord, he worked with a merchant in Falkreath."Avery stared down at her reflection. Astrid nodded, resting her tail on Avery's shoulder comfortingly.

"Can you tell me a bit about this group? I want to know what you do so I can help you in any way."she meowed, looking back at the green gaze of the ginger she-cat.

"We are called the Dark Brotherhood. We are a group of assassins that takes conctracts from our holy matron, the Night Mother."she began,

"And no, we weren't the ones that went after your parents as we haven't received contracts these past couple of days. If you don't believe me, ask Myra."she added, as though reading Avery's thoughts.

"Who is the Night Mother?"Avery asked.

"The Unholy Matron, the Shrouded Lady, the Mistress of the Void. She goes by many names. Long ago, Sithis gave a she-cat five kits. She killed them to win his favor, thus becoming the Night Mother. If you believe that sort of thing."she spoke.

"I've heard a few things from Dinah about the Dark Brotherhood like that you follow a certain set of rules-"Avery meowed then Astrid finished,

"The Five Tenets, yes. Though I think the set of rules is restricting us. I mean there are only a few of us here, were practically the last of our kind. If I were to lead, I would disband them. I would say bottom line, respect your family. That is the most important."she meowed.

"What if I get caught killing someone?"Avery asked with uncertainty.

"I advise you to try not to. But I understand that's not gonna be always easy. Sometimes a contract may require a public killing. Murder is, obviously, a serious crime and it will put a big bounty on your head."Astrid spoke.

"You can run but you'll still have the price on your head and will be stopped by guards the next time you go into the hold the act was committed in. You can also yield if a guard attacks. If the guard accepts you can pay your bounty, or serve your time in a cell. We've all went through it as means to survive, so you'll get used to it quickly."She said.

Avery nodded. "I understand. Though I have a favor to ask of you. Please leave my sister out of this. I don't want her to take on the path that I will to survive and protect her. I don't want to burden her with this."she meowed, her eyes welling up with tears.

Astrid's eyes softened.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure that she's safe and sound within the sanctuary. She is still too young for this and I understand your concern."she replied, curling her tail around the black she-cat.

"Thanks Astrid."Avery said, then yawned.

"It's getting late. You should go rest. You'll meet the others tomorrow "She meowed. Avery nodded and headed back to her room. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep.


	3. A New Life Part 2

**Chapter 2**

A New Life

Part 2

Saari snuck around the house, wearing her leather body suit with her hood on. She walked quietly down the stairs and went into the main hallway. On this night, she had decided to run away from her family home. She wanted to carry on what her father was doing and use his teachings to become an assassin. She silently opened the door and exited the house. She headed in the direction of Riften which would take her at least a day to get there but she was prepared as she had packed some food, a weapon and some gold.

By the time she arrived to Riften it was sundown of the next day. The guard stopped her at the gates.

"Halt! Before you enter, you must pay a fee."the guard spoke.

"Fee? For what?"She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"For entry to the hold."he replied simply. Saari smirked.

"This is obviously a shakedown."she meowed in a bit of a louder tone.

"Alright I'll let you in. Just don't let anyone hear you..."he meowed, unlocking the gate.

"Thank you."Saari meowed, chuckling slightly as she entered Riften.

When she walked in, it was just as she remembered it, gray and dull. She heard that this hold is also a home to the Thieves Guild whose activity on the act of thievery has lessened suprisingly. She headed to the Bee and Barb and padded to the innkeeper.

"Good evening miss."The young Argonian spoke as she served a drink to another customer.

"Good evening. I'd like to rent a room for a couple of days."Saari spoke calmly.

" 'Course. Just pay up 20 gold and you got a room."the innkeeper said. Saari paid the price and Keerava showed her to her room.

When the innkeeper left, Saari sat on the bed, sighing deeply. She looked at the wall blankly. Her father was gone, killed off in the fight with the bandits. The one that mentored her in the assasination arts is now dead. Her reason for leaving was to continue what her father taught her, which meant she had to kill other cats to survive. She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep shortly after.


End file.
